Jersey Jazz - New Jersey Jazz Society

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JerseyArticlesJazz BILL CROW continued from page 14 In 1954 Crow joined the Marian McPartland Trio (with Joe Morello on drums) at the Hickory House in New York City. It was funny; I didn’t drink at that time. I was just standing around and Charlie [of Charlie’s Tavern] would kind of look over my head and not pay any attention to me. When I started earning a little money and I could afford to stand at the bar and share a drink with somebody, then he had me in focus. But it wasn’t until I came in with Stan Getz and we both ordered Armagnac that he suddenly knew my name. Saturday night.” I would take the job. I’d run down to Noah Wulfe’s on Sixth Ave. and rent an old beatup bass that was always available for five bucks for the weekend. Then I’d rent a tux for another five bucks. The job only paid 15 or 20 dollars but I could live on that extra because food was cheap and I was living in a very cheap furnished room. So I gradually eased into the business that way. I eventually found a guy that had a plywood Kay bass that he was willing to sell for $75. I gave him five dollars, which was all I had, “Will you hold it until I can get you the rest of the money?” It took me a few months. One of the ways I raised the money was this job that John Benson Brooks got me with Mike Riley; just a trio doing comedy routines and playing a little Dixieland. I was the drummer and boy singer. I finally owned my own bass and started getting calls for jam sessions, rehearsals and stuff like that. That was where I was learning. I used to go to jam sessions where there was one rhythm section and 10 horns. The bass player would get tired pretty quick so I could jump in and play on his bass. When I finally had my own instrument I could go to jam sessions and really hang out. Teddy Charles was one of the first guys that got me into an organized group. He had a trio with a guitar player named Don Roberts. Don and Teddy taught me chords. They were into be-bop and Teddy knew all of Monk’s tunes. He was working out arrangements on the piano that were very hard for Don because you can play close harmony on the piano but it is hard on the guitar. If you want a note that is right next to the one you are playing on one string you’ve got to reach way over on the next string to get it. So Don was figuring out all these hard grips and Teddy was pushing him to play hipper voicings. It was very interesting, but of course there was very little money in it. We had an agent that was trying to book us into rooms that previously had funny hat groups. We did a little humor, but it was more like Chubby Jackson’s humor. You had to be a New York bebopper and it would help if you were Jewish to understand the material. But through that group I improved my jazz chops and I met Jimmy Raney. Don Roberts left and Jimmy was at liberty because he’d been working with Stan Getz, but Stan had gone to the coast by himself. So Jimmy spent that summer playing with us. Jimmy had a broad range of interests. He liked to go to museums and look at the paintings. I learned a lot about Paul Klee and some of the modern artists that I wasn’t familiar with. He even took up the cello for a while just for his own amusement. He never played it out in public. Then in the fall Stan called him and said, “I’ve got a week in Boston. Roy Haynes wants to make it and I’ve got a piano player; so get a bass player and come on up.” So Jimmy said, “Do you want to do it?” I said, “Sure.” He said, “You’re hired.” So Jimmy really hired me. [Chuckles] That was my first big break. JJ: OK, how did you feel walking in to work for Stan when he hadn’t hired you? BC: Oh I was scared, of course. I was really on my toes trying to make sure that I was playing well enough for Stan’s approval. The very first tune was an up tune and my D string broke. It takes maybe 10 minutes to change a string and the D is in the middle. You can’t play around it. I saw another bass under the piano that belonged to the house band bass player. I figured he wouldn’t mind, I’ll just miss a couple of bars and switch basses. I grabbed his bass and started playing. [Chuckles] It was a lefthanded bass, strung up in the opposite direction. I probably played more wrong notes on that tune then I ever did in my life. Then I got the string changed and the rest of the set was so much better that I guess Stan figured I was all right. [Laughs] I thought I’d just have that week, but we came to the end of it and Stan said, “Well, do you want to stay on?” [Laughs] I said, “Of course.” He said, “Well, we’ve got a week in Birdland coming up.” So I went down there and found that Roy Haynes, who lived in Boston then, and Jerry Kaminsky, a wonderful piano player, had not stayed with us. Our new piano player was Duke Jordan and new drummer was Frank Isola. I knew Frank from jam sessions and hanging out around town. We played well together. I loved Duke and thought he was a spectacular musician. Right away, I was in the major leagues; played Carnegie Hall on the same concert that Bird was on. I couldn’t believe it. It was a jump into the water every night with a new lesson. I was trying to stay up with these guys. Jimmy was very kind. He showed me all the changes he was using and Duke also. JJ: Did you ever get nervous playing in a venue like that and with artists of that caliber? continued on page 18 16 __________________________________ May 2010
May 2010 ___________________________________ 17
Page 1 and 2: Volume 38 • Issue 5 May 2010 Jour
Page 3 and 4: New JerseyJazzSociety sincere.”
Page 5 and 6: May 2010 __________________________
Page 7 and 8: May 2010 __________________________
Page 9 and 10: food for the body | songs for the s
Page 11 and 12: Restaurant and bar 24 Main St. (Rt.
Page 13 and 14: ARBORS RECORDS Daryl Sherman and Jo
Page 15: One of a kind * Brunch at the only
Page 19 and 20: May 2010 __________________________
Page 21 and 22: May 2010 __________________________
Page 23 and 24: May 2010 __________________________
Page 25 and 26: Saluting the giants of jazz. Cole,
Page 27 and 28: JerseyArticlesJazz Noteworthy Fradl
Page 29 and 30: JerseyArticlesJazz Hail to the Chie
Page 31 and 32: JerseyReviewsJazz celebrate the mus
Page 33 and 34: JerseyReviewsJazz ■ JACKIE RYAN i
Page 35 and 36: May 2010 __________________________
Page 37 and 38: JerseyReviewsJazz The party was alr
Page 39 and 40: JerseyReviewsJazz impossible, but r
Page 41 and 42: New JerseyJazzSociety Jazz Social |
Page 43 and 44: New JerseyJazzSociety Joe Temperley
Page 45 and 46: JerseyEventsJazz She’ll be Nancy
Page 47 and 48: JerseyEventsJazz Tell them you saw

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